Of Life and Death
by darkwing21
Summary: Post New Moon; Jacob imprinted on someone he hates and he left, convinced that his imprintee will reject him. On his escapes, he met the most feared forces on vampire's world, the Volturi. What will happen to him?
1. Prologue

Pairing : Edward/Jacob

Rating : R for now, might escalated

Disclaimer : All of it except the plot belongs to Stephanie Meyer, and I'm not her.

Summary : well, let's see how it goes…

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prologue

Jacob ran and ran, far and further away from Forks. He had been on his wolf form since jumping out of Bella's window, hoping none of his pack mate's phasing at the time. He supposed he was lucky since no one had tried to follow him thus far. He'd sprinted away from Bella and her bloodsucking leech, escaping the thought that had plagued him since he saw him in her bedroom.

Jacob refused to acknowledge the thought; the impossibility of the situation enraged him. It was simply impossible, absolutely unbearable fact to be acknowledged. So he didn't even think about it. He's going to run and live far, far away from Forks, never to return. He didn't even need to phase back to human if that's how it worked.

Too intent on shielding his thoughts from his pack mate, he didn't realize until too late. One second he ran, another second he hit a hard unmoving wall of flesh and tumbled back.

"Well, lookie. A wolf. Is he lost?" A childlike melodic voice crooned.

Jacob lifted his gaze and was confronted with the sight of a bunch of vampires. He growled threateningly at them and took a defense position.

"Aww, is the lost wolf scared?" A vampire girl, small in size, taunted him, smiling very childishly.

Jacob was about to leap at her before he felt it. Pain, so much pain attacked him in the head. Jacob phased back to human, cringing and screaming on the ground as the pain continued to assault him.

"Enough, Jane." Another vampire had come to kneel beside the prone man. Jacob noticed through his tear-filled eyes that this one had a proud, regal look on him. "Now, let's find out why there's a werewolf when the moon is not even half full, shall we?"

The vampire touched him and Jacob recoiled at the cold, vice-like grip on his bare flesh. It was an uncomfortable notion that he realized he was naked in front of bunch bloodsucking leeches. Not to mention that this lot had red-eyes, no doubt from drinking human blood.

"He's not a werewolf," the dark-haired vampire announced. "A shape-shifter, from La Push. They took wolf's form, but they aren't werewolf. He knew the Cullen's, apparently, and was in love with young Bella." A lengthy pause. "And- oh my, my - he's imprinted to Edward Cullen."

Jacob wanted to snarl as the vampire apparently reading his mind, but the lingering pain on his head made him frozen in place. The rest of the leeches seemed quite stunned at the revelation, several snarled loudly at his prone form.

"That's interesting, Aro. I suppose it means the human girl isn't really young Edward's mate, then?" Another vampire, taller and bulkier, joined the conversation. "I had seen their bonds and it was mostly emotional. But emotion is a tricky thing. They could change as easily as a flowing river."

"Is that means we can kill her?" The childlike vampiress asked.

Jacob did snarl and snap furiously when he realized they were talking about Bella. The one called Aro frowned while Jane turned to him and...

"Felix," Aro grounded.

A tall, mountain-like vampire stepped forward and restrained Jacob by straddling him and pressing one hand against the shifter's head. Jacob snarled, squirming and struggling against the vampire but couldn't manage to throw the heavy body off.

"How interesting, a shifter imprinted on a vampire. Perhaps we could use this to our advantage." Aro mused.

Caius sneered, "Really, what kind of advantage a disgusting mutt like this could possibly bring us?"

"We can turn him," Marcus suggested.

"You can't turn a werewolf." Caius snapped.

Marcus argued, "He's a shape-shifter."

"All the same, it's impossible to do that. What good would it do, anyway?"

"Aro?" Marcus enquired. The other vampire looked like he's considering something.

"There is a way," the leader finally hedged, "But it required incredible self control and depend on the shifter's will to survive. Although, perhaps it'd be easier on this one since he's imprinted on a vampire."

"You still haven't answer my question," Caius snarled, getting angry that his friends even considering it.

"Ah, but my friend, there's plenty advantages. For one, it meant Bella won't be turned to a vampire, thus preventing the Olympic's coven gaining a gifted member. Or she could be turned, but since Edward wasn't her mate, there's a high possibility of her leaving the coven and we could invite her. And surely, when Edward realized that his mate is our member, he will be unable to refuse our offer to join. That kid had been without a mate for too long to refuse a chance to be with his mate." Aro ended his long speech with a smile.

Jacob had been getting wearier since he heard those leeches wanting to turn him. He growled and thrashed without avail, pinned completely beneath the statuesque body. A vampire's venom was complete poison for the shifters, killing them easily if it gotten into their blood stream. His imprint might have been a hopeless case but Jacob really, really didn't want to die.

"Hmm, and who knows what kind of a hybrid this mutt would resulted to? I suppose it will be interesting to watch." Caius caved, getting excited at the prospect of getting an entertainment.

"We can't turn him here, though. It's too risky." Marcus warned. "He still had some remaining bonds with other shifters, tattered as it is. They could probably still felt him if we do it here. I don't fancy having a run in with more mutts."

"Jane, Alec, gather everyone. We're going back to Volterra." Aro commanded.

Jane looked displeased, "And the human girl?"

"We'll leave her, for now." Aro smiled benignantly, promising they would deal with her later in the future.

Jacob was about to say something that would probably quickened his death when Felix hit the back of his head hard and he lost consciousness almost immediately.

TBC...

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A.N: So, I was like reading Returns to Forks, Fool For You, and The End Where I Begin, realizing that I really, really like the story where Jacob was turned to a vampire. Since Edward and Jacob is my favourite pairing so of course I paired them off. I had two stories running in my head, this one and the other where Aro turned Jacob before he even phased.


	2. Chapter 1

Of Life and Death

Pairing : Edward/Jacob

Rating : R for now, might escalated

Disclaimer : All of it except the plot belongs to Stephanie Meyer, and I'm not her.

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Chapter 1 : The Aftermath

Their newborn was huddled in the corner, cringing and whimpering at the sight of them. Caius really couldn't blame him, since the transformation – no- the turning sounded extremely painful, even for a vampire.

Upon coming back to Volterra, Aro had told them to find the most isolated place to start the process before the effect of the animal tranquilizer they gave to the dog earlier faded. As Aro explained what the process entailed and the reason behind it, Caius found himself feeling the slightest pity toward the mutt. The shifter was going to be bitten repeatedly, having the venom pumped into him and being sucked out again after a gradual length of time. It was to accustom the body to the venom, easing the real turning process so he could survive, killing the wolf inside him slowly.

Marcus had volunteered to be the one doing it, being the one with most control and always wanted to have a childe of his own. Caius didn't know how he did it though, since they immediately found out the reason behind the mutt's incredibly awful smell was to protect the fact that their blood tasted amazingly delicious for vampires. But Marcus did, biting the boy and sucking the venom out after a time, repeatedly.

The tranquilizer had worn off not even half way and the boy was - predictably - screaming, twitching and trashing violently from the unbearable pain and burning his body went through. Toward the end, he was even crying and begging for mercy, pleading them to just kill him already. The actual transformation wasn't getting easier either. Whereas normal turning only ranged from three to five days, the boy was taking six days just to go through the pain of dying, before his body began its transformation.

After six long days of silent screams and cries, the child had finally quieted down. The next day, he was up and about, but very unlike your usual newborn. The boy seemed to be in awe for seeing with vampire eyes for the first time, yes, but he didn't emit the blood thirst most newborns felt immediately after their transformation. And he obviously didn't have the same pull a newborn had on their sire because once he caught sight of Marcus, the boy went huddling in a corner, trying to hide himself.

Marcus looked devastated seeing his childe's reaction while Aro tried to calm the newborn.

"Shush, childe, we're not going to hurt you anymore." Truer words never been said, at least Aro admitted they had hurt him a lot previously. "Come here, we know you must be hungry. We'll get you some meals, yes?" The elder vampire crooned at the newborn.

The boy peered at him distrustfully, not quite convinced by the soft words. Caius was surprised as he noticed a pair of brown eyes and when he studied it, he could see a ring of red around the pupil, but that's it. How interesting.

"I don't think persuasion and reasoning will work on him at this state. We should just bring his meals here and let him have a go at it. It's easier that way." Caius declared.

Aro mildly agreed with him while Marcus still tried to approach his childe. It didn't have the expected result as the boy pressed himself deeper to the wall and emitted panicky, distressed noises. Marcus immediately backed off to the farthest corner, deciding to wait for the time being. Caius was content to continue to observe the hybrid so it was up to Aro to fetch the boy's meals.

A year later...

Jacob stalked into the main hall, knowing he was expecting there. He didn't really like the place, particularly because his sire was there, but it wasn't something he could easily wave off. They rarely summoned him without real importance and a failure to attend normally resulted in punishment.

He was a bit surprised to find an almost complete set inside, full-out meeting wasn't something happened often. He sided with Alec and Jane, who's smiling at him, but Aro motioned him to stand in the center. Jacob complied, knowing refusal would result in his sire's glare and he was scared shitless of the vampire.

Aro smiled as Jacob took the center seat, facing them. It was normally used by guest, but right now, it was important for the young vampire to sit there.

"It has come to my attention, that it is time to make a visit to our friend Carlisle, checking on the human girl's mortality." Aro began. "Jacob, you're coming with us. Jane, Alec, Felix, Demitri, Heidi and Renata. The rest would stay on guard here."

The chosen guards looked pleased, but Jacob could tell it wasn't a simple matter of leaving. If it was, why would they want him to have an audience and not simply being informed later?

"Jacob, I want you to use your power on the Cullens, make sure they couldn't see our arrival. Most importantly, use it on our dear Alice - and Edward too." Aro said.

Jacob relaxed slightly, if that's all they wanted...

"Will you be alright?"

Upon hearing his sire's booming voice, Jacob had stiffened again, nerves completely shot up. Marcus winced almost imperceptibly, saddened by how much his childe afraid of him. It was mostly due to the excruciating turning and he almost regretted that he had been the one who did it. Almost, because he knew if it wasn't him, the boy wouldn't survive.

Caius joined in, "Yes, Jacob. I understand you knew these people before..." His voice trailed off.

"Yes, I did." Jacob admitted. "But I don't really...know them or care about them. Well, no more."

Aro smiled, silently hoping it was true. He highly doubted it, but if Jacob changed his mind the time he saw those he knew, the Volturi's going to be in trouble. However, they needed to trust the young hybrid. After all, he mused, if Jacob went a step out of line, Marcus could immediately straighten him out. Even after a long year full of patient, gentleness and compassion from his sire, Jacob still couldn't forget his awful turning and completely scared of Marcus.

"Here, childe. We don't want them to see your eyes too soon, do we?" Aro smiled, handing Jacob a sunglasses. Jacob took them gratefully, not ready being ousted as a freak by others.

Aro knew for sure though, their trip to Forks would be a memorable one, no matter the outcome.

TBC...

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A.N.: So I've finished chapter six and according to the plot I've just finished too, it's going to be 13 chapters long, excluding prologue and epilogue. It's not going to be less than that, I don't think, but more is possible. Let's just see how it goes eh? And THANK YOU so much for the reviews and alert and favorite story and author. I appreciated it so much that I'm writing at full speed here. Some of you even reviewed and alerted my other story I possibly have abandoned. I promise I'll work on that too...soon...hopefully...


	3. Chapter 2

Of Life and Death

Pairing : Edward/Jacob

Rating : R for now, might escalated

Disclaimer : All of it except the plot belongs to Stephanie Meyer, and I'm not her.

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**I'll start replying reviews directly after this chapter. Right now, I'll post it here **

**dnanne : Thank you so much for your effort on reviewing. I really appreciates it, so much that I've finished another chapter.**

**milkchocolatehot64, Sayomi-hime, rebelwilla :Here's the next chapter. Hope you like it. My muse went crazy from all of the lovely responses**

**DarioArentoSyndrome: Yeah, he's my favorite too. Like him better than Bella, another reason why I wrote this fic.**

**Kenssy : Yup, poor Jacob. I really like to torture him. I guess it shows from chapter two. Heheee, but I will make him better, promise. Scout's honor. Oh, and the next chapter ( ch. 3) is about the Cullen's, so make sure to stay tuned. **

**Cherry Jade : You can't wait, eh? Too bad you have to, because the meeting is not until chapter 4, if everything goes as planned. As for the other comment, well, you just had to wait for quite a long, long time. Don't mean to scare you though.**

**HyugaHiazi : That's an interesting question you ask me. No, Jake is not heartless, he just didn't care of humans in general and other vampires outside the Volturi. The reason, well, it's revealed in this chapter.**

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Chapter 2 Playing Hours

After the leaders dismissed them all, Jacob immediately went back to his room. He threw himself on the large bed Caius had bought for him. As with every item he had in the room, the bed was luxurious, almost extravagant. Normal vampires didn't need sleep, but apparently Jacob needed one. The first time Caius caught him sleeping on the floor, in the middle of his room, the blond vampire had immediately gone out on his way to buy it for the newborn.

As if on cue, the rest of the Volturi followed Caius example. Aro bought him a complete set of furniture for his bare room, while Marcus insisted to install a full set entertainment center in a room beside the hybrid's. He even got a connecting door build in between the rooms. Jane and Heidi - after he was being presented formally to the guards - went to a shopping spree, buying him an entire wardrobe he couldn't possibly fathom when he's going to wear it all.

He was quickly considered the baby of the Volturi and they all treated him as such. Out of everyone though, Jacob liked Caius the most. The older vampire saw him as a fascination, taking in each and every single gesture he made and trying to decipher it at the same time. As such, he had the most understanding of Jacob compared to the others.

Marcus, his sire, well...he had tried to get closer to Jacob. The young hybrid understood that after his wife's death, the elder vampire had no one to get close to and therefore he wanted to enforce the bond he had with his childe. But Jacob was too terrified of him to let him get close, the lingering agony of his turning always on the forefront of his mind. He didn't blame Marcus or anybody for it, not really. But the fear was uncontrollable, his mind insisted to remember every bit of the pain every time he looked at his sire. It was his traumatic response, Caius had called it.

Aro treated him like a son, acting very fatherly and awfully lenient toward him. Of course, the fact that he's deeply impressed of the hybrid's ability also helped. It was a long while after his turning before they realized that he had an unusual ability. Marcus could never sense any relationship his childe might have left, but they wrote it off as being a newborn. The real discovery was when Aro had tried to read him, wanting to find out how to progress with him.

He failed, completely unable to read the newborn's mind. Aro was impressed, thinking that maybe Jacob had the same ability like Bella's. He set up an experiment, setting the guards with ability on Jacob. The hybrid managed to throw off every single one of them without being conscious of doing it. The real surprise though, was when Jacob even managed to fight off Kate, a visiting guest with the ability to shock others with an electric current on her skin.

It had been an accident, actually. He was running, trying to hide from Marcus again. Aro accompanied the guest walking around the palace, hoping that the vampiress would change her mind about the Volturi's offer. Jacob came from a corner, not really looking where he run off to and heading to Kate's direction. Other guards had learned early on to move out of the way when the half-breed was running like that. But Kate saw him as a threat and therefore used her ability to defend herself.

To their surprise, Jacob didn't seem to be affected at all, crashing on Kate with loud, thundering noise. He stood immediately and stuttered apologies over and over, but didn't seem to be in pain. Aro was curious, knowing the vampiress' ability, and touched Kate. He didn't get electrocuted either, even though he knew Kate was using her ability, or at least trying to. Ever since, Aro scheduled Jacob's training, pushing the half-breed to the very bound of his ability.

Jacob got up and went to his playroom, realizing that several of the guards were there already. As he expected, he found Jane, Alec and Demetri waiting for him there.

Jane immediately jumped to his back, demanding for a piggyback. "So, how are you really Jake? Aren't you feeling anxious going back to Forks? And hey, you're going to finally meet your mate." She asked excitedly.

Jacob tried to shake off the petite vampiress, to no avail. If he really wanted, he could use his ability and throw off Jane as easily as he'd a human. But since he didn't, everybody knew he wasn't really annoyed. "I don't feel a thing, except maybe annoyed that I had to leave at all. And what is this mate you're talking about? Everyone always spoke about it in front of me, but none of you willing to tell me about this ' the one' for me." Jake complained; something he's doing often, every time the talk of his mate emerged in a conversation. He always thought it wasn't fair that every single of the guards knew his mate, except him.

Jane only smiled very childishly while Alec shook his head. Demetri smirked tauntingly - he always hated Jacob's ability that prevented him from tracking the half-breed and making sure he's okay - the knowledge of the boy's mate was a one up on him.

Jacob rolled his eyes, deeply unimpressed with their show of interest, or a lack thereof. It was always like this. It's not that he was that crazy over having a mate - he's got a whole set of family to care about such irrelevant thing - but he hated how everybody seemed to think it was okay to taunt him with the fact. He was awfully curious of said mate, but no one wanted to give him the information he required to satisfy his curiosity. It was like dangling a bottle of water in front of a thirsty man.

"Right. Let's just play until it's time for leave," Jacob grabbed the X-Box controller and motioned for them to do the same. Soon, they were engrossed in a competition to see who the best player among them is. It was the best way to pass the time in Jacob's opinion. That's until Jane stood up and turned the huge, flat screen TV off.

"Hey!" Jacob cried a protest, trying to get pass Jane and turn the TV back on.

Jane shook her head, "Nuh-uh, you're going to sleep now, Jake. We don't want you to slow us down tomorrow by falling a sleep during the trip, do we? I think Felix had finished his patrol by now."

Alec and Demetri nodded their agreement and it took Jake little time to realize that wass their real intention coming here in the first place. He grumbled angrily and stormed off to his room, where Felix had waited for him.

His pseudo parent/brother was already lying on the bed, smiling as he saw him. Jacob quickly stripped to his boxer and jumped to the bed.

"You're alright? I know meeting Marcus was...taxing." Felix asked.

Jacob snorted, "To put it mildly, I guess. Why did they put me on the audience chair, Felix? I still don't understand that."

Felix thought about it for awhile before deciding that Jacob had a right to know. "They wanted to see your reaction over the news. Like it or not, it's your birth place and you know those people once. Aro was wondering if taking you along is a wise decision."

Jacob shook his head, "Volterra is my birth place. Forks were my previous life's birth place and those people you mentioned? I don't even remember them that much; bits and pieces, Felix. Though why Aro didn't just decide not to bring me along is beyond me."

The older vampire sighed, "They are quite a coven, the Cullens. A seer, a mind reader, and an empath; a force to be reckon with, Jake. Not to mention that this human girl he mentioned of has an ability to block mental power. Aro needs your ability, quite a lot."

"Well, that's explain it I guess."

"Good, now go to sleep. I'll try to make sure Jane and Heidi keeps the packing minimal."

Jacob groaned at that, but he admitted he was sleepy. The half-breed closed his eyes and immediately fell asleep.

"Well, that was easy," Jane commented as they left the playroom.

Demetri scoffed, "Of course it was easy. The kid is just too predictable, sometimes."

"Well, we should probably prepare for the trip. I'm going to pack for Jake as well. I knew if it was up to him, he's going to bring his cell phone and wallet and be done with it. Honestly, he should bring some of the newest clothes we bought him, and of course his grooming tools and..."

Jane's inane chatter had driven his brother and Demetri away as swift as exorcism, but the excited vampiress didn't notice and didn't care. She planned to get Heidi to pack for Jacob as well, after she finished her own packing of course. Sometimes, Jane was also very predictable.

TBC...

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A.N. : Whew, would you believe it or not? Not only I've finished another chapter, I also revised this one. The Felix part especially, to make it in accordance with the newest chapter I wrote, and also Kate's part. At first I was using Renata to show Jacob's ability on physical attack. But then I read that Renata's ability is being descripted as mental force field to avoid physical attack. So I used Kate.

Sometimes…I really scared myself. (^ ^)


	4. Chapter 3

**Of Life and Death**

Pairing : Edward/Jacob

Rating : R for now, might escalated

Disclaimer : All of it except the plot belongs to Stephanie Meyer, and I'm not her.

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**A.N : Sorry about the delay. I had decided that the one I've finished wasn't good and therefore I had to revise it. And then the damn modem I've just bought recently was acting up. Not to mention the heat struck my country seemed to have experienced. And I'm still stuck writing on chapter 8. Anyway, I've decided to post new chapter every weekend since I have a lot of assignments from college.**

Oh, and before I forgot, thank you, thank you, thank you very much for all the lovely reviews, alerts and favorites. All of your supports make my heart swell.

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Chapter 3 Edward

"Will you stay?"

"I can't Bella." Edward answered, pretending to sight heavily.

The girl pouted, "You never stay the night anymore."

"I've told you, Bella, my family needs me right now."

"I understand that they're frantic. You should've just turned me, that way you won't need to worry of the Volturi anymore." Bella smiled seductively, or at least she's trying to be.

Edward grimaced internally, "But then we're going to have a problem with the shifters. You understand that our relationship had been shaky ever since Black gone AWOL."

Bella looked haunted immediately, "Must you mention him?"

"Bella..." The vampire tried.

"No, it's okay. You should leave now, your family's waiting." The human held up her hands.

Edward sighed and left through the door. He'd never left through Bella's window anymore, not since the night the young shape shifter jumping out of it only to never be seen again. Edward knew mentioning Jacob Black had been a bit low blow, but Bella deserved it after she kept asking to be turned.

~*~

"Edward," Alice greeted him once he walked past the door, "You should try being nicer to her."

Edward merely sighed, their arguments were getting old.

"Yes, yes, I know. It's all because of my advice that you're still with her. But Edward, do you really want to see Bella going mad and tell everybody what we are only to have his father put her into an institution and end up being assassinated by the Volturi?" Alice exploded, again.

Yes, Alice, he'd already seen that vision too, multiple times before. "Well, at this rate, the Volturi will still assassinate her due to the fact that I no longer had the intention to turn her."

Alice smiled then, "Don't worry about that Edward. We've been working on that. You just stay and keep her stable, alright?"

Edward sighed and nodded. Honestly, he had no idea how Alice was working on it. Her vision had been screwed lately, unable to see even a glimpse of the future. He was slightly worried as to what it could possibly cause, but a stray thought from the pixie-like girl erased every other thought he had.

_Marriage ceremony._

~*~

"I want you to call off Alice. This is _not_ going to work." Edward emphasized. He didn't like the situation, not one bit.

Carlisle sighed, "You don't know that. This is the only..."

"Or better yet, you could just simply turn her. That is what she wants, anyway. What's the problem even if she's not my mate? You turned Rosalie after all." Edward cut him off.

"I turned Rosalie in hope that she's your mate, yes. But she was dying at the time and it was her choice. Bella is not." Carlisle pinched the bridge of his nose.

"She's as well dying with the Volturi wanting to kill her if we don't turn her. And if, say, I do marry her, how long do you think it would hold them off?"

"Things will be much simpler if she's your mate."

"But turned out she's not." Edward deadpanned. "C'mon, Carlisle, Why not just turn her? It will be easier on everyone if you do. The Volturi won't care whose mate she is, so long as she was either turned or dead," he coaxed.

"I don't want to impose Bella with our immortality if it's not necessary, Edward. Giving her that without you by her side for eternity will make her a bitter woman. Alice had seen it. She's going to be angry to us, wanting for revenge that we took her life from her. And having a mad vampiress running after us for eternity is something I don't wish even for the Volturi."

Edward stayed quiet then, not knowing the length of thought his father had given on this matter. He had been too resentful toward Bella that he no longer paid attention to what goes on in his family. It was just another reason to hate her more.

He was about to apologize to his father when he picked up the thought.

_Forks...nostalgic...Aro...me go...Res...don't think...will...sneak off?...set Marcus...me..._

He even managed to pick up a projection of fear at the last name. He didn't know how, but it seemed that the Volturi had reached Forks without they being alerted of their presence. Probably why Alice's vision had gone off like that. He cursed loudly at not paying more thought on it.

"Carlisle, gather everyone. The Volturi is coming to Forks."

Shrieks from his sisters, growls from his brothers signified that they heard him. Carlisle blanched, before moving at top speed, telling Esme to fetch for Bella. It's easier to protect her if she's nearby, rather than letting the Volturi have a free access on her.

* * *

Aro had to admit, the hybrid was far more than what it seemed. He's very intriguing; his need to sleep for example. Caius practically went crazy over the fact, taking the time to study the newborn on his sleeping time. Marcus had tried to do the same, wanting to get near his childe so desperately. Alas, the boy was completely, utterly terrified of Marcus, so much so that his sire's mere presence in the same room he was in was enough to instill another panic attack.

Right now, he was in said newborn room, trying to learn how to lessen Jacob's fear of his sire. He touched the sleeping boy's face, trying to read his mind to understand why he's so afraid of Marcus. He had expected onslaught of memories, perhaps of the boy's turning. What he didn't expect was the total, utter silence on the boy's mind. Confused, he tried again and again, but his power didn't seem to listen to his instruction, refusing to come out.

Intrigue, Aro wondered if Jacob had the same power that human girl Edward Cullen fell in love with seem to possess. He could ask for Marcus to try his power on the boy, but that would mean waking Jacob up while Aro wanted to see if he could use his power unconsciously. Perhaps, Jane - not Alec since they wouldn't be able to determine whether its working or not - and Demetri should try to use their power on him. He could ask Jane to limit her power. With that in mind, he left and went to search said guards.

Jane's first reaction upon finally saw the talk-of-the-month newborn up close was to squeal, loudly. The baby vampire's sleeping face was so cute, complementing his incredibly beautiful form. She vowed the next time she had free time she's going to drag Heidi to the town and shop for the boy. They would have a grand time buying clothes for the gorgeous newborn.

And then she frowned as Aro asked her to use her power on the boy. Honestly, torturing the innocent-looking boy in his sleep? Jane didn't feel like it and she told Aro as much. The leader glared menacingly at her, promising punishment for her insolence, and turned to Demetri. Aro asked him to track the boy the moment he was awake in the morning and to report the result.

"Now, Jane, do as I say. No need to torture him, just try hurt him a little." Aro's quite tone was far scarier than if he had shouted.

Jane still refused, opting to show her displeasure by attacking Aro with her ability. To her surprise, it didn't seem to be working.

Aro went wide eyes as he slowly realized what Jane had intended to do. "Did you just...?" He hissed, reaching for the vampiress' hand for confirmation. He clucked his tongue disapprovingly at the childlike vampiress, "Really, Jane, attacking your superior? After your previous disobedient, you realize the punishment would be severe."

Jane pouted, "Oh just laid it off already. It's not like it working."

"True," Aro hummed. "I wonder what this means."

The vampiress suddenly had a bright idea, "Can I take him shopping, Aro? You can ask Demetri to track him and see if it works. Track us, too."

Aro considered the idea and decided it's worth a try. At the very least, Jacob would receive an entirely new wardrobe. "Fine, you can take him tomorrow. But don't think I've forgotten about you punishment."

Jane simply smirked; it was worth it.

He was puzzled. Each of their ability seemed to have malfunctioned whenever Jacob's around. He had told Marcus and Caius about this, their reactions varied. Marcus sighed morosely as he realized getting closer to Jacob is harder without Aro's mind reading ability while Caius went and conducted experiment on the hybrid. The result was quite astounding; none of the Volturi's ability working to and/or around Jacob. The newborn was quite frankly nullifying the others' mental abilities on quite a range around him without even realizing it.

Right now, he was escorting Kate, a vampiress of Denali coven with a quite impressive ability. She could electrocute others with an electric current on her skin. Aro had offered her a spot on the Volturi, but she declined. Nonetheless, Aro was hoping this visit on Volterra meant she would change her mind.

He had been thinking of testing Jacob's newfound ability on this vampiress when said hybrid showed up from a corner, running. It was obvious that Jacob had been 'playing hide and seek' with Marcus again. Aro sighed internally, wishing that the boy would soften already. Poor Marcus.

He thought of warning Kate to step away before deciding against it. It could prove to be a useful experiment, trying to see if Jacob's power would work as well on physical ability. He watched with curiosity as the half-breed crashed on Kate with loud, thundering noise, noting the way the vampiress tensed. Jacob stood immediately and stuttered out apologies, extending a hand to the fallen vampiress'.

Kate narrowed her eyes and took the half-breed's hand, smirking in satisfaction as they touched. Jacob didn't seem to be in pain, though, Aro noted with amusement and joy. To be safe, he touched Kate, reading her mind of the event. As he'd thought, not even Kate's ability seemed to have effect to Jacob. Even as Aro touched her, she was still trying to use her ability, which means it didn't affect Aro either, merely due to Jacob's presence.

At that very moment, Aro realized what a prize the half-breed was and that his ability would probably be the best asset the Volturi's could have, if managed right. A smile bloomed across his face as he thought of the numerous ways the ability could be used for.

TBC...


	5. Chapter 4

****

Of Life and Death

Pairing : Edward/Jacob

Rating : R for now, might escalated

Disclaimer : All of it except the plot belongs to Stephanie Meyer, and I'm not her.

A.N. : Thanks for all the reviews, alerts and favorites, all of you make me oh so very happy. Finally, the long awaited meeting. It's not much though. I understand it may seem slow to you, but I'm building a plot here. Be patient with me, ne~? Oh, and the next chapter will include the story of Jacob's imprinting from Edward's point of view. Aren't you all curious? To those who wanted to see Marcus-Jacob's relationship improvement, here it is...

Sorry, had a problem with the html code. It's fine now.

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** Chapter 4 The Meeting**

Jacob frowned as he adjusted his shades. No matter how many times he tried, he didn't seem to be able to block the mind reader's ability. It didn't make sense, considering he could block Aro out with no trouble at all.

"Aro, I need to tell you something." Jacob said, deciding it's best to come clean right now before something happened.

Currently, they're sitting in the car to go to the airport, waiting for Jane to stop fussing over their luggage.

Aro looked as calm as ever and asked, "Is there a problem, Jake?"

Jacob hesitated slightly before saying, "The Cullen's mind reader? I, uh, can't block him out. He keeps slipping away from me."

Aro raised an eyebrow at the revelation. That's a really interesting piece of knowledge, he mused. It's possible that Edward's position as Jacob's mate was the cause of his apparent resistance of the hybrid's ability. Very intriguing indeed.

"I understand. We're going to keep our mind shielded once we arrived. And Jake, try to shield the others. It might work."

It did. While Jacob didn't seem to be able to block Edward's ability, he apparently could protect the others against the mind reader's. Jacob frowned, it's far easier to block other vampire's ability rather than shielding them. But he didn't have the choice on the matter.

When they arrived at the airport, Jacob couldn't help not to gape. He knew how powerful and

rich the Volturi are, but the knowledge didn't come with an understanding what exactly it entailed. Figures they would have a private jet of all thing.

Caius looked amused at his awe, knowing exactly what the hybrid think. "We have several more, Aro thought it's wiser to use the smaller one as to not attract attention."

Jacob gaped again, "Is there anything you guys don't have?"

The older vampire clucked his tongue in disapproval, "Ours, Jake. Those things we have are yours too, never forget that you're a part of us. And no, anything we could possibly have, we have it. Except those vampires we desired to be a part of us yet declined our offer, of course."

Jacob was about to say more when something caught his attention. The smell of food, pizza to be exact. The hybrid's stomach growled in hunger, causing him to blush. While it's true that they had dinner of a group of screaming humans the night before, Jacob hadn't get a chance to eat real food.

Felix came over and drag the hybrid away, declaring they had time before the jet departed to get him some food. Jacob was glad; he really didn't want to go with an empty stomach. The rest of the group looked both amused and exasperated. Aro, especially, couldn't understand how the child could still stand eating such disgusting things. The disadvantage of creating a hybrid it seemed, he mused.

They almost reached Forks when Jacob admitted it shamefully.

"I think he managed to read my mind."

Everybody immediately stopped at that. The young vampire ducked his head and kept his gaze on the ground. He had been thinking about sneaking off to the Res, although if Aro knew the man would probably set Marcus on him. Jacob shuddered.

"I don't understand how, but I felt him slip through my defense and.."

Aro cut the boy's explanation, "It's alright Jacob, I understand. We've already closing in, so it's not a big deal. Let's just heading there immediately, though they might have been warned of our arrival." He said the last part to all presents.

Everyone murmured their assessment and they left it at that. Jacob was glad that no one seemed to be angry at him. He really didn't understand how the vampire managed to break his defense so easily and even more so that the others seemed to be completely understanding. That was weird.

Minutes later...

The house was incredibly beautiful. The walls were made of glass, standing humongous in the middle of the forest. Jacob was deeply impressed - Volterra was magnificent, yes, but this one was a winner on its own right. In the front of a massive garage housing several magnificent cars - Jacob was itching to laid his hands on those beauties- the Cullens were waiting for them.

Aro stood in the middle, Caius and Renata beside his left, Jane and Alec on his right. Demetri and Heidi stayed behind, while Marcus and Felix stood in front of Jake, blocking him from sight. Talk about overprotective parent, Jake sighed, not exactly comfortable with Marcus on his line of sight.

Edward stood with Alice and Jasper, the three of them protecting Bella from direct view. Carlisle and Esme in the middle, with Rosalie and Emmett on another side. He narrowed his eyes when he recognized the hooded figure behind Marcus and Felix as the one he had read his thoughts earlier. Obviously, he was a new member of the guards - he wasn't there when Edward went there the last time - and possibly the one responsible for Alice unable to see the future and he failed to sense them until it's too late.

Marcus noticed the gaze Edward directed on his childe and growled menacingly. He didn't care if the vampire was his childe's supposed mate. His protective feeling came to the forefront in a confrontation like this and he didn't like the way the enemy looked at his childe.

"Aro," Carlisle greeted, seemingly intend on ignoring all else but the Volturi's leader.

"Carlisle, it's been a long time." He said politely, "It's really too bad that our meeting had to be in such circumstances."

The Cullens stiffened as Aro's gaze traveled to where the human scent came from.

"You haven't turned her yet." A statement.

Carlisle nodded, a bit nervously. Esme closed her eyes and sent a quick prayer to the Power That Be. Edward was fascinated by the scent coming of the Volturi's newest member. It severely reminded him of Jacob Black.

Aro continued, "You understand, if you have no intention whatsoever to turn her, then we'll be forced to kill her in front of you all. She knew of our existence, after all." Before, Aro would have offered the girl a chance to be turned by one of his guards. But they already had Jacob now, and the half-breed was much more gifted than Bella could ever turn out to be.

"We'll give you a day to think this through. If by the same time tomorrow the girl still human, well..." Aro left the last part of his threat unsaid. Everyone's already knew it anyway.

"Thank you, Aro," Carlisle said, stepping forward to shake the vampire's hand.

Aro smiled and hugged the younger vampire, he's always been fascinated of Carlisle. Their intimate greeting was interrupted by a loud growl from their side.

Marcus had stepped forward, ready to pummel the insolent brat who couldn't stop staring at his childe. Edward was immediately on defensive stance, noting that Jasper had stepped forward, trying to calm them both. With Bella stood right behind them, Marcus' move was too dangerous for her. Jasper's powers didn't seem to work either, unfortunately.

Jacob rolled his eyes at his sire's overprotective manner. Honestly, the guy with weird colored hair was only staring at him, what's the big deal. Marcus was greatly overcompensating the fact that under normal circumstances Jacob was scared shitless of him. Not really wanting a confrontation, and feeling an awful need to protect the bronze haired vampire - how weird - he stepped quickly in between his sire and Edward.

Only when he looked at Marcus' astounded face did Jacob realize what he'd just done. He had never, not once in his short year of living as vampire, standing face to face with his sire on his own will. He began to panic, fear clawing out of his gut when he felt a comforting hand touched his shoulder tentatively.

Edward didn't know why, but when the foreign vampire stood protectively in front of him, he felt a surge of happiness. And then the vampire seemed to realize his move and froze up in panic. His mind whirled in terror and Edward was getting flashes of biting and pain, lots of pain. He clamped his hand to the stranger's shoulder, trying to calm him down.

It was working. Marcus watched in astonishment as Jacob grew calmer and calmer even as the boy stood in front of him. And that was without the effect of Jasper's power, since his ability would be useless on Jacob. The Volturi's leader fought the urge to laughing maniacally as his childe looked into his eyes without panic and fear for the first time in his existence.

The rest of the guards also seemed to realize the rarity of the moment since none of them make a sound, not even breathing. Even the Cullens was entranced at the confusing yet seemingly incredible occurrence. Finally after long minutes pass, Aro, however reluctantly and regretfully, cleared his throat, effectively breaking the magic of the situation. Jacob flushed slightly, but refusing to move from his position, although he did lower his gaze.

Marcus felt a twinge of disappointment at that. But he contented himself by thinking that once Edward joined the fray, such moment would surely be plentiful. Satisfied, he backed off, signaling Jacob that he had no intention to attack anymore.

"We're leaving now," Aro announced, mostly to Jacob.

The young vampire nodded, still hiding beneath the hood and the shades he wore. He moved quickly to run after the others, standing beside Felix and drawing comfort from his big stature. Edward felt a surge of jealousy at that, but he stomped hard on it, not wanting Jasper to pick it up.

At the Volturi's sudden departure, the Cullens plus Bella looked floundered. They seemed to be at lost of what had just happen, but Edward _kindly_ reminded them of the matter at hand. The decision of what become of Bella Swan.

TBC...


	6. Chapter 5

**Of Life and Death**

Pairing : Edward/Jacob

Rating : R for now, might escalated

Disclaimer : All of it except the plot belongs to Stephanie Meyer, and I'm not her.

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Chapter 5 Seattle

"I don't understand." Jacob announced.

"Mm-hmm...yes, Jake? What is it?" Jane asked as she looked around for tasty looking mortal.

They were walking around the city of Seattle, looking for dinner. Jane led the way, dragging Jacob alongside her, followed by Alec and Felix, acting as bodyguards.

"Why would Aro give them more time? What different it would make between today and tomorrow? I mean, they had chance to turn her for a whole year and didn't, so how could we expect her to be turned by tomorrow?"

"We don't." Felix answered from behind. Alec nodded along with him.

"We don't? But..."

"No need to worry, Jake. Aro has plans; we just have to trust him." Jane said easily, "Now, what do you think about that woman over there? She looks good."

"Good enough to eat, you mean?" Jacob asked tartly.

Jane laughed, "But of course, some of us need more nutrients than those junks you called food."

"Hey now, no calling my food junks, those things are delicious, more than those red liquids you keep drinking. It's not my fault that your lot doesn't have taste buds." Jacob countered heatedly.

Felix and Alec merely rolled their eyes as they walked behind the comedy duo. That argument was really getting old.

x~X~x

"Enjoying your outing, children?" Aro asked as the group came back to the hotel.

Jacob rolled his eyes. Aro was way too overbearing sometimes. And of course they had to choose the most extravagant, expensive hotel all around Seattle. Jacob wondered how exactly he got involved with the most obnoxious, showy rich bastards. Oh wait, it wasn't by his choice.

Jane smiled as she bounded over to the settee. "It was fine. We even went to a restaurant so Jake could eat."

The hybrid in question grumbled lowly, "I told you there's no need to go to such a fancy place."

Aro smiled. He knew the half-breed had never ate on such a posh place before his change and Aro felt like giving him all the things he had been without in his past life. The other guards understood, especially Marcus, who's still haunted by the boy's horrid turning. They followed his lead, spoiling the hybrid to no end. Although Aro still drew a line when it comes to the boy's meal, insisting for him to drink blood too, never mind the fact he could survive without it.

"Well then, Jake. Off to bed with you. We need to be in our full strength for tomorrow. I have a feeling things will get ugly." Aro said, shushing the hybrid away.

Jacob eyed him distrustfully for a second, seemingly wanted to argue. But then he decided to leave and go to his room, Felix following from behind.

x~X~x

Jacob bounced happily on his luxurious, plush bed. Upon arriving on Seattle, they had immediately set out to the most extravagant hotel and booked several of the most expensive suites. Jake was truly excited, he had never stayed in a hotel before. He was glad that Jane and Heidi had insisted them all to bring several better clothes.

Although, he was sure if anyone failed to bring it, they could simply buy it off the store. Not that, he amended, they would voluntarily entering the shopping hell with Jane and Heidi like that. Jacob was glad for the two women, he really did. After a lifetime of not having a fit enough clothes he could call his own, their gifts were highly appreciated. But that didn't mean he would want to keep up with the newest fashion all the time and continually shopping for new clothes.

Eww...

The bed dipped down beneath the weight of Felix as the tall vampire climbed onto it. "Jane and Heidi had just departed." He declared.

Jacob stared confusedly at him, "What for?"

"Midnight shopping."

They grimaced together. Really, at times like that, the normally deadly, dangerous lady vampires were no different than those human girls. Not that they would've dare to tell it on their faces.

"Well, look at the bright side, at least none of them tried to drag us with them." Jacob stated cheerily.

"No, they just drag Alec and Demetri along."

Jacob snickered. Alec had been so used to his sister's antic that he no longer worried of the shopping spree. But Demetri still hated that with passion. What he wouldn't give to see the tracker's face right now, Jacob mused.

"I don't understand this apparent animosity between you and Demetri." Felix said. The two seemed to derive great pleasure of each other suffering that made Felix wondered if something had happened outside his knowledge.

Jacob waved his worries. "It's no big deal. We're just...clicked that way. You know, like a pair of high school boys fighting with each other only to laugh about it later on."

"I'm not sure if I should feel amused that you compare yourself and Demetri to high school boys." Felix smiled.

"Well, technically, I'm still a high school boy." The hybrid frowned.

Felix immediately felt guilty. "How do you feel today? Meeting with those people you used to know?"

"I don't remember them." Jacob shrugged. "It helps that none of them knew who I am. Guess I can't count on that tomorrow, eh?"

"You think Aro will let them know who you are."

"I know he will. There's another reason why they brought me here along, Felix. I'm not stupid. And do you remember how Marcus acted earlier today? He's far overprotective than the last time we went on a hunt. Something is going on, I could feel it."

Felix stared at the hybrid, wondering when the boy had gained such insight, and then cursing himself not to notice this. Jacob's right, he's not stupid, far from it. Of course he would realize the leader's plans, although not the reason behind it.

He cleared his throat to break the uncomfortable silence stretched between them. "Let's just sleep, Jake."

Jacob glared at him, realizing that the older vampire knew something he didn't. But he also realized that arguing was pointless, so he opted to go to sleep. Whatever came tomorrow, he would just ride it out, the way he always did.

* * *

"Look, Jacob, Edward is here and I expect you to play nice, okay? You don't need to like him or anything, but at least be polite." Bella warned her best friend.

Jacob rolled his eyes, all the precautions only to meet with a leech. Bella was hopeless, indeed. "Yes, ma'am, I promise." He gave her a salute.

She narrowed her eyes, "No need to be so sarcastic." She said before turning around and climbing the stairs, leading Jacob to her room.

_The leech just has to come back to her, does he? Why he couldn't just stay away is beyond me. And Bella forgives him so easily too. If it was me, I would have given him at least several punches for leaving like that._

Edward heard the mutt's thought and couldn't help but feeling amused at that. So, he also thought his leaving had caused her more harm than not, eh?

_But then again, this is Bella we're talking about. She's a human - so fragile, several punches would've done her more harm than it does to him. _

Edward snorted; he couldn't help it. The mutt was right, Bella tried to punch him would only caused her injury. She's too frail, even by humans standard. Sometimes, Edward wondered why exactly he loved her. Her delicious scent and quiet mind aside, she's not that impressive.

Talking about scent, there's another one beside Bella's that had been teasing his nose ever since the moment Jacob Black arrived. As the boy followed Bella upstairs, the exquisite scent only magnified. Unlike Bella's, this one didn't ignited his blood lust, but rather his desire to take, to possess and ravage the owner of the scent. And then Bella entered the room and stepped aside, letting the young shifter into Edward's sight.

The vampire felt his unbeaten heart wanting to jump out of its place. The boy had rich russet-colored skin, dark silky hair glowing under the moonlight, beautiful baby face accompanied by the most expressive eyes. Edward swayed, never in his hundred years of existence had he ever felt so drawn to someones beauty.

At that moment, their eyes met and Edward was shocked. He had heard the boy's mind just as he climbed the stairs, but right now his mind was a complete blank sheet. Several seconds of staring passed before Jacob jumped out of the window, phasing to his wolf's form and running to the forest. Bella gave a loud cry as she too, dove out of the window, intending to follow her friend.

Edward cursed as he moved to catch Bella before her body hit the ground. He could have run after Jacob and catch him before, but with the time he took to help Bella and ensured she's okay it was impossible now. The girl was clinging on him now, scared of her almost successful suicidal act. Edward had a hard time not to roll his eyes.

They trudged back to her room and stayed there for awhile before Bella started to yell at him.

"What was that, Edward? Why did Jacob running out like that? Why don't you go after him?"

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose, "I have no idea, Bella. And I can't run after him, not if I want to safe you from your death. It's too late now, I may be fast, but I'm not that fast."

"So, you're blaming me? Well, forgive me if I want to run after my best friend when he suddenly jumped out of the window like that!" Her eyes narrowed in anger.

Edward felt anger begin to rise in his chest as well. "Normal people didn't just jump out of second floor window just because her best friend did, especially when the best friend in question is something with non-human strength." He snapped.

"So, you call me abnormal for worrying over my best friend?" Bella countered.

Obviously, they're getting nowhere. Edward realized this and sighed. "Look Bella, why don't you just call Jacob's house and asks if he's home or not. And perhaps you could tell the pack what's just happened. They can start looking for him early if he is unaccountable." He suggested, trying to be the reasonable one.

Bella nodded stiffly and went downstairs.

Edward sighed as he remembered that night. It was a very eventful night. The argument between him and Bella had been the very first reason of their drifting away. And that's not the only argument they had. More and more came later as Jacob was declared missing and all of the pack went looking for him. Bella locked herself in the room, grieving and wallowing in her sadness.

Edward wanted to hate Jacob Black for it, but found that he couldn't. He too was worried over the boy's disappearance, constantly asking Bella to offer the Cullen's assistance on looking for the missing shifter. But the girl only stayed in her room, crying over Jacob yet made no single effort to look for him. Edward had tried, but the wolf seemed to disappear off the earth, no single track could be found of his whereabouts. Soon, the pack gave up, concluding that perhaps Jacob had met his end, one way or another. The connection between them had been cut off completely that their hopes lost very quickly.

Bella blamed him for all of that and Edward's patience quickly running thin. He understood why Bella would blame him, he did. But that didn't mean he liked it. He was supposed to be the girl's 'love of her life', yet she kept blaming him for something he couldn't control. The thought gave way to dislike and then hatred toward Bella.

He had tried to break up with her, but the moment he made the decision, Alice confronted him with a vision of Bella going mad in an institution, assassinated by the Volturi. So he didn't, opting to keep his distance while still being with her. Edward pretended to care, indulging her every action, contenting himself by thinking it would only last for one human lifetime at the most, as he no longer had any inclination to turn her. The girl wasn't his mate and that was that.

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A.N : Not my best work, I know. I've been having problem with the first half of this chapter. I think I've got a writer's block. The idea kept running around my head, but typing it is another matter.

Anyway, Thank You for all of the supports (reviews, alerts, favorites). They're all made me posting it today since I've promised and not wanting to disappoints. So, yeah, enjoy. (^^)


	7. Chapter 6

Of Life and Death

Pairing : Edward/Jacob

Rating : R for now, might escalated

Disclaimer : All of it except the plot belongs to Stephanie Meyer, and I'm not her.

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**A.N. Due to a severe case of writer's block and procrastination, I present you with this short, filler chapter. Originally, I'm planning to add a little more but…well…I realized I haven't updated for about a month and will probably unable to for the next three weeks (Damn Exams) so…yeah…**

**For everybody who have reviewed, alerted and favorite this fic, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I'm very deeply, terribly sorry for the delay, but the updates will probably changed to once a month until I overcome the damn block and general laziness.**

**Enjoy…**

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Chapter 6 Felix

"Hiding again, boy?"

Jacob stiffened momentarily before realizing it was Felix's voice. He hit the broad-shouldered vampire angrily. "Don't scare me like that," he hissed.

Felix simply looked amused. "Honestly, Jake, you should stop avoiding your sire. Marcus had been very patient with you. If you're mine, I would have beaten you to the line." He paused as he saw Jacob blanched, "Though I suppose, it would only make it worse in your case."

"Just shut up!" Jacob snarled and stalked off angrily.

Not a minute later, Marcus showed up.

"He was here." The leader stated.

Felix nodded amiably, "He did, yes. If I knew you're coming, I would have held him here longer."

Marcus simply sighed, "Let him be. It's not like I would know how to deal with him if he's still that afraid of me."

"Well, you have a point there. Although even you had to admit this hide and seek game between you two is getting boring. Something got to give, Marcus. If he doesn't stop hiding from you, then you should stop looking for him."

"He's my childe." He stated.

"No one argue with you on that. But that's exactly why he's afraid of you."

Marcus simply left, not bothering to argue the matter anymore. Felix sighed as he remembered where exactly Jacob inherited his stubbornness and persistent nature from.

x~X~x

"You should stop sneaking off like that. Aro and Marcus were about to have an aneurysm, you know."

Jacob pouted. Honestly, he left for only two hours and they panicked, again. Overprotective old m- vampires, he amended.

"Jake, the fact that not even Demetri could track you is what really bothered them. If, when you left this place alone, we had no means to know your safety. You should at least ask someone to accompany you. I'm sure they would be calmer that way." Felix lectured. Honestly, sometimes he felt he's acting more like Jacob's sire than Marcus.

The half-breed's bottom lip began quivered. Uh-oh, that's never a good sign, Felix thought.

"But the others were always busy and if not, they always went to places of their own choices. I just want to take a walk in the park or buying food from street merchants, simple things like that. They never allowed me to!" Jacob said passionately, wildly gesturing with his hands.

Felix would've been amused, if not for the argument that had drifted out of the main room.

"Just stop it you two, that kid aren't a helpless fledgling. All your worries give me a headache!"

"We couldn't help it, Caius. He left Volterra alone, without anyone escorting him. We don't even know where he's going. Of course we are worried." Marcus growled.

Caius laughed humorlessly, "Honestly, what are you afraid of Marcus? Jacob is powerful, no vampire would hold up against him."

"What about the human? That boy is incredibly naive, Caius, who knows what those humans might trick him into." Aro joined in, backing Marcus up.

"He's a powerful half-breed, there's no way the humans would be able to subdue him. Just admit it, you two are scared of him leaving and not coming back." Caius said knowledgeably.

Silence. Thick, uncomfortable silence filled the room and the hallway.

"See what you've done to those three. They are fighting." Felix whispered, knowing the leaders wouldn't hear it from the room.

Jacob shrugged nonchalantly, "Caius always knew me best."

Felix narrowed his eyes, "He's also the one who could've careless of your well being."

"Well, as long as it didn't hinder my ability to serve the Volturi."

"So you know." Felix deadpanned.

"Of course I do. But he's still the one I'm most comfortable with. Marcus is just plain scary while Aro is a bit suffocating at times." Jacob admitted.

A pause.

"I don't have to go in there, do I?"

Felix snorted, "Of course you do."

"But..." Jacob bit his bottom lip, "Marcus' in there."

Felix sighed; he's so damned weak when it comes to the young half-breed. "C'mon, you can hide behind me if it became too much."

Jacob brightened at that, following the large vampire into the room.

x~X~x

"Marcus meant well."

Jacob was still cowering in the corner, sniffling pitifully. He hugged his knees with both hands, hiding his face in between.

"Jacob," Felix knelt so he was on the hybrid's eye-level, "You have to understand. It's not easy for him. You're the only one he even wanted to get close to after Didyme..."

"I know what happened, alright? Caius was insistent for me to know my heritage. Aro was too."

"So you should've..."

"But it's so hard! I know he loves me as a father and I know he wants me to be safe, wants the best for me. I know all of it. But every time I see him all I could remember is the pain he inflicted on me. And I know it have to be done, but still, Felix, the pain..." Jacob shuddered. "All I could remember of that time is the pain, consuming and endless. I felt like I'm going to die, hell, I practically beg for it. But he ignored my pleas and kept biting me, sucking my blood out, giving me more and more pain."

"Jacob..." The mountain-like vampire faltered.

Jacob continued on, "I know Aro and Caius were there too, but I didn't see them. They were just blurs in my memory compared to Marcus. His face kept haunting me, so persistent and determined while he's hurting me, over and over and over..."

"Jake, enough!" Felix shook the boy out of his reverie, not liking the way his eyes glazed over. He hugged the smaller vampire, trying to comfort him. "I'm sorry, so sorry Jake. I didn't know."

Jacob cried in Felix's embrace, sobbing so hard he almost choked on it. Felix closed his eyes, silently cursing Marcus for losing his patience, even just for a second. It was due to Caius' careless words that Marcus raised his hand against Jacob. The result was thoroughly devastating for all.

The half-breed ran out of the room, heading for his own and hiding in there. Marcus fell to his knees, immediately regretting his impulsive act and looking incredibly worn. Aro closed his eyes in despair, already sympathizing for both Marcus' sadness and Jacob's pain. Caius looked at Marcus disapprovingly; no matter how it seemed to the others, he also cared for the boy's feeling, though perhaps not as strongly.

Felix went to Jacob, knowing the boy would definitely need a calming presence. He tried to get Jacob see behind Marcus' action, but it was obvious now that was something the half-breed need to do on his own over time. Felix vowed to make Marcus see that he needed to give Jacob time and space to get over the fear.

TBC...


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